L&T Joins Columbia Startup Lab: An Incubator for Alum-Entrepreneurs

The Startup Lab, based in SoHo, welcomes 63 Columbia alumni (and 8 non-alums) to a new office space run by WeWork

Longneck and Thunderfoot LLC is proud to be joining the inaugural class of Columbia Startup Lab. The Lab represents Columbia University’s efforts to support entrepreneur-alums in New York’s blossoming startup scene.

The 5,100-square-foot SoHo office space will see 63 of the university’s alumni and their non-alum co-founders come together to pursue their projects, share ideas, and pool their expertise as they grow their companies. Columbia will support them with subsidized rent, programming, and networking events.

Vince Ponzo, head of the business school’s entrepreneurship center told the Wall Street Journal, “I think what you will see is this is going to be the manifestation of the beginning of Columbia doing more and more visible initiatives in the start-up scene and beyond.”

Columbia’s undergraduate college and its schools of business, engineering and international and public affairs have long supported alums in new business ventures, but this program represents a substantial expansion of Columbia University’s Entrepreneurship initiative into the world of startup incubation.

WeWork’s chief strategy and marketing officer Noah Kerner told the WSJ that the startup environment at the office space will be of great benefit to entrepreneurs.

“The process of starting a company is such a scary, lonely process, especially when you’re young and right out of college. [tweetability]To be surrounded by every kind of company imaginable is pretty significant. It’s game changing.[/tweetability]”

Other companies selected to be part of the Columbia Startup Labs include Try the World, a service that sends worldly folk boxes of gourmet food from around the world, One Line Partners, a business investment startup, Shareswell, a gift registry service for stocks, Bundle Organics, an organic juice company specializing in prenatal juices, and Rawr Denim, a comprehensive denim resource. We’re excited to meet all of you, and we’ll be following up with a post on all the selected startups when a complete list is released.

L&T Co.’s founders Cooper Pickett CC ’10 and Jonathan Allen will join the Lab when it begins on June 2, 2014.

Any vacancies will be re-opened in September and January.

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